WEDNESDAY 28 MAY 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR CHILD MARRIAGE TO BE ELIMINATED IN ASSAM BY 2026: CM ‘INDIA RAISED HEAD OF ITS WOMEN POWER WITH PRIDE’ P4 SENSEX 81,551.63 q624.82 WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. POSSIBILITY OF THUNDERY DEVELOPMENT. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 39 AND 27 DEGREE CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 87 % TEMPERATURE P5 NIFTY 24,826.20 q174.95 ` vs $ 85.36 GOLD `98,050 THUMBNAILS 22-member team of Indian Army Mountaineers in a group picture after they successfully scale Mount Everest (8,848m) under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Bhanoo Pathak on Tuesday. nANI CBDT extends last date of filing income tax returns to 15 September from 31 July: The CBDT extended the last date of filing income tax returns for assessment year (AY) 2025-26 to Sept 15, 2025 from July 31, 2025. "CBDT has decided to extend the due date of filing of ITRs, which are due for filing by 31st July 2025, to 15th September 2025," said the income tax department in a post on X platform. The extension comes in the wake of the new structural and content revisions aimed at simplifying compliance, enhancing transparency, and enabling accurate reporting, the tax body mentioned. (P10) P rimeMinisterNarendraModi on Tuesday warned Pakistan again reminding the hostile neighbour that terrorism practiced by them was not a proxy war but a deliberate war strategy and India will respond accordingly. “Terrorism is deliberate war strategy on their part; if they engage in war, our response will be accordingly,” the Prime Minister said reasserting that “this was no proxy war as those killed after May 6 were given state honours, Pakistani flags draped on their coffins.” “We want happiness for our neighbours too, but if you challenge our strength, then India is also land of heroes,” PM Modi said while addressing the gathering at the celebrations of 20 years of Gujarat Urban Growth Story programme in Gandhinagar. He said that over the past two days during his visit to Vadodara, Dahod, Bhuj, Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, he has been experiencing the fervour of patriotism with the roar of success of Operation Sindoor and flying tricolours. “India had made up its mind to weed out the thorn of terrorism and did it with utmost conviction,” the Prime Minister said. Recalling what he said was the first terrorist attack on India in 1947, right after the partition of India, the Prime Minister said one part was usurped by Pakistan harbouring the terrorists. He said that the country was divided into three parts, and on the same night, the first terrorist attack STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 MAY Bhushan and Padma Shri Awards for the year 2025 at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-II held at Rashtrapati Bhavan this evening. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar, Union Ministers Amit Shah, S Jaishankar, Pralhad Joshi, Jitendra Singh, G Kishan Reddy and several other ministers and dignitaries were present on the occasion. Govt launches ‘Know Your DIGIPIN’ and ‘Know Your PIN Code’ web portals NEW DELHI, 27 MAY The Department of Posts on Tuesday launched two transformative digital platforms: ‘Know Your DIGIPIN’ and ‘Know Your PIN Code’, marking a significant step towards the modernisation of India's addressing system and geospatial governance. These platforms were launched in alignment with the National Geospatial Policy 2022, which envisions the development of an advanced geospatial infrastructure to support digital governance and public service delivery. The DIGIPIN (Digital Postal Index Number) is an P12 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 63.64 Apex court issues notice to Centre, states on plea challenging Waqf Act, 1995 PM asserts that despite playing diplomatic games, Pak repeatedly faces India’s military strength in war took place on the soil of Kashmir. Pakistan captured a part of Mother India with the help of terrorists, in the name of Mujahideen. Reciting Sardar Patel’s vision, PM Modi emphasized that the Indian Army should not have halted until Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir was reclaimed. Lamenting that since Sardar Patel’s advice was “not followed” the Prime Minister argued that the “legacy of terrorism has continued for the last 75 years and the terror attacks in Pahalgam was another horrific form of it.” He asserted that despite playing diplomaticgames,Pakistanrepeatedly faced India’s military strength in war. “….On three occasions, India’s armed forces decisively defeated Pakistan, making it clear that Pakistan could not achieve a victory in direct military conflict.” Acknowledging Pakistan’s realization of its limitations, PM Modi stated that the neighbouring country resorted to proxy warfare. He explained that trained militants were infiltrated into India through systematic military training, aiming to target innocent and unarmed civilians, including those undertaking peaceful pilgrimages. Talking about the Indus Water treaty which was put on abeyance, the Prime Minister highlighted issues related to water resources in Jammu and Kashmir, pointing out that although dams were constructed on rivers, proper maintenance and desilting were neglected for sixty years. He remarked that gates meant for water regulation were left unopened, leading to a drastic reduction in storage capacity— from full utilization to merely two to three percent. He asserted that Indians must receive their rightful access to water and stated that while significant steps have yet to be taken, initial measures have begun. Asserting that India believes in ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, the Prez Murmu confers Padma awards on 68 icons at Civil Investiture Ceremony-II STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE ASIAN ATHLETICS C'SHIPS: GULVEER WINS GOLD SILVER `1,00,000 India will respond to Pak’s terror war strategy: Modi NEW DELHI, 27 MAY Min: 25.6 °C (-1.0) SUN SETS 19:13 hrs MOON SETS 20:57 hrs President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday presented India's second-highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan, to Justice (Retd.) Jagdish Singh Khehar, the former Chief Justice of India, for his contribution to the field of Public Affairs. Other recipient of the Padma Vibhushan include classical dancer Kumudini Lakhia (posthumous). Murmu conferred Padma Awards to 68 individuals who have made exceptional contributions in diverse fields such as art, literature, education, public affairs, medicine, social work, science, sports, and industry. The President presented Padma Vibhushan, Padma P9 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Min. 46 % Max: 37.4 °C (-3.0) SUN RISES 05:25 hrs MOON RISES 07:09 hrs PROTEST IN B’DESH AGAINST GOVT’S PUBLIC SERVICE ORDINANCE LAW open-source, interoperable, geo-coded, grid-based digital address system developed by the Department of Posts in collaboration with IIT Hyderabad and NRSC, ISRO. It is a cornerstone of the Department of Posts' vision to offer Address-as-a-Service (AaaS) — an array of services associated with address data management to support secure and efficient interactions between users, government entities, and private sector organisations. The ‘Know Your DIGIPIN’ initiative simplifies location mapping, enhances logistics and emergency response, and ensures last-mile delivery, especially in rural and underserved areas. The Padma Awards, among the highest civilian honours of India, are conferred in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. This year, the government had announced a total of 139 Padma awardees on the eve of Republic Day. Among those honoured in this phase were 3 Padma Vibhushan, 9 Padma Bhushan, and 56 Padma Shri awardees. The ceremony held special significance with 13 posthumous recognitions, honouring legends who left a lasting legacy in their fields. At the event, Sharda Sinha, the legendary folk singer, famous for her folk, devotional and Chhath songs, has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan posthumously for her contribution to the field of arts- folk music. At the ceremony, Sharda Sinha's son Anshuman Sinha received the award on her behalf. The Padma Bhushan awardees included social activist Sadhvi Ritambhara, known for her role in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, actor-politician Nandamuri Balakrishna, and celebrated journalist and author A. Surya Prakash. Among the posthumous Padma Bhushan recipients were legendary singer Pankaj Udhas, veteran politician Manohar Joshi, economist Bibek Debroy. renowned Malayalam writer M.T. Vasudevan Nair, and Osamu Suzuki, the Japanese industrialist known for his pivotal role in Suzuki’s partnership with India. Prime Minister said, “We don’t want enmity with anyone, we want to progress so that we can also contribute to global wellbeing……India must be a developed nation by 2047, no compromise, we will celebrate 100 years of independence in such a way that the whole world will acclaim ‘Viksit Bharat.’” To achieve that goal the urban bodies need to be made growth centres of economy, he said. “Today we have around two lakh Start-Ups, most of them are in Tier 2-Tier 3 cities and being led by our daughters…..Our country has immense potential to bring about a big change, Operation Sindoor is now the responsibility of 140 crore citizens,” he said reaffirming, “We should be proud of our brand ‘Made in India.’” Underscoring India's significant economic rise, surpassing global competitors, PM Modi said it was a moment of pride. He recalled the excitement among citizens when India climbed from sixth to fifth in the world economy rankings, particularly noting the enthusiasm of young people. He emphasized that overtaking the United Kingdom— India’s former colonial ruler—was a historic milestone. Drawing parallels to the freedom movement, PM reflected on the sacrifices made by leaders like Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Netaji Subhas ChandraBose,VeerSavarkar,Shyamji Krishna Varma, Mahatma Gandhi, and Sardar Patel. He noted that had the 25-30 crore population of the time not been determined to fight for independence, achieving freedom in 1947 might not have been possible. PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 27 MAY TheSupremeCourtonTuesday issued notice to the Central government and all state governments on a petition challenging the constitutional validity of certain provisions of the Waqf Act, 1995, as amendedbytheWaqf(Amendment) Act, 2025. A bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice AugustineGeorgeMasihtagged the fresh plea filed by petitioner Nikhil Upadhyay along with other pending petitions challenging the validity of the 1995 Waqf Act. During the hearing, advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, appearing for the petitioner, was asked by the Chief Justice Gavai about the delayed challenge. “Why are you challenging the 1995 Act in 2025?” Upadhyay responded that he was also challenging the 2013 Amendment to the Waqf Act, prompting the CJI to remark that “Even then, from 2013 to 2025—12 years. There is a delay.” However, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, stated that while the Court had earlier not allowed challenges to the BSF releases video of ‘Op Sindoor’, says ‘fully prepared’ to prevent Pak infiltration AGENCIES JAMMU, 27 MAY The Border Security Force (BSF), which played a critical role in 'Operation Sindoor' alongside the Indian armed forces, has released new visuals of the military action undertaken on May 7 against nine high-value terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK). The offensive was launched in direct response to the brutal April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, where four heavily armed terrorists from The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) affiliate, killed 26 innocent and unarmed people, mostly tourists from India. The Indian armed forces, through multiple Press briefings, have kept the public informed about 'Operation Sindoor'. The footage also shows the Pakistan Rangers fleeing from the scene as the BSF retaliated with precision. In continuation of this, the BSF released a 5-minute, 21second video capturing intense action by Indian forces on several terror infrastructure facilities across the border. In the video, the Indian armed forces are seen targeting and destroying multiple key launchpads and military posts. The footage also shows the Pakistan Rangers fleeing from the scene as the BSF retaliated with precision. BSF personnel are seen actively engaged at various posts, launching calculated strikes on enemy positions across the border. During a press conference, BSF Inspector General (IG) Jammu, Shashank Anand, detailed Pakistan's response following the Indian operation. "On May 9, Pakistan targeted several of our posts, using flat trajectory weapons and mortars. They even fired on one of our villages, Abdullian. Our jawans gave them a befitting reply. When their firing slowed down, they increased drone activity. In retaliation, BSF targeted and destroyed the Mastpur terror launchpad," he said. He further warned of potential infiltration attempts, saying, "We are receiving several inputs about terrorists returning to their camps and launchpads, and possible infiltration along the LoC and the International Border. Security forces must stay alert." Tragedy in Haryana’s Panchkula: 7 family members from Dehradun found dead STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE PANCHKULA, 27 MAY In a heartbreaking incident that has sent shockwaves across the city, a family of seven was found dead in a parked car in Panchkula’s Sector 27 on Tuesday morning, in what police are investigating as a case of suicide. As per the details shared by the District Police, the deceased have been identified as Praveen Mittal, his wife Reena, mother Vimla, father Deshraj, twin daughters Dhruvika and Dalisha, 11, and son Hardik, 14. The preliminary cause of death appears to be poisoning. While the exact reasons are still being probed, early indications point toward financial difficulties and personal stress as potential factors. The note reportedly mentions an unbearable A view of the car in which a man, his wife, their three children, and his parents were found dead allegedly by suicide in Panchkula on Tuesday. nANI burden and no way forward, though investigators are verifying the authenticity and contents of the letter. Police said that Praveen Mittal was running a travel and tour business in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. He suffered significant financial losses, and this might have led him to take the extreme step along with his family. According to police, all seven were found inside the same car, whose rear windshield was covered with a towel. Additional Commissioner of Police Vikram Nehra said that when the victims were shifted to a nearby hospital, only the children’s father was breathing, who died during treatment. DCP, Panchkula, Himadri Kaushik said that prima facie it looks like a matter of suicide. All the investigating officers are at the spot. The financial debt and psychological issues that the family was facing have come up. All angles are being looked into, said the officer. Police said to have recovered a two-page note from the car in which all seven were found. “I have gone bankrupt. I am responsible for all this. My father-inlaw should not be harassed. The last rites of my family members shall be performed by my cousin,” Praveen Mittal said in the note, as revealed by the local police. The bodies were taken to the Civil Hospital in Sector 6 for the post-mortem examinations. Police are also speaking with neighbours and relatives to build a complete picture of the family's circumstances in the days leading up to the incident. Neighbours described the family as “quiet and reserved,” and said that there were no outward signs of distress. The local community and school authorities, especially those connected with the children, are reportedly devastated. 1995 Act to be heard along with petitions against the 2025 Amendment, there was no objection to this fresh petition being tagged with pending ones challenging the 1995 Act. The petition by Nikhil Upadhyay contended that the Waqf Act, 1995, was discriminatory,asonlytheMuslim community has a codified law for the administration of charitable and religious properties, whereas other communities do not have similar statutory provisions. The plea challenges several provisions of the 1995 Waqf Act as amended, stating they violate Articles 14 (equality before law), 15 (non-discrimination), 21 (right to life and liberty), 25 & 26 (freedom of religion), and 27 (freedom from taxation for religious purposes) of the Constitution. It further argues that the state cannot bear the cost of surveys or verifications of waqf properties from the public exchequer, while no equivalent mechanism or financial support exists for properties belonging to other religious communities. “There should be a Common/Uniform Law for Religious Trusts and Endowments,” the petition stated, urging parity in legal treatment across all religious communities. The plea comes amid ongoing hearings in the Supreme Court on petitions challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, as well as other controversial laws such as the Places of Worship Act, 1991, and the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. Omar holds J&K cabinet meeting at Pahalgam STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 27 MAY In a bid to send a powerful message against terrorism in the aftermath of the killing of 26 civilians on 22 April, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday held a special cabinet meeting in Pahalgam, where the terror incident happened. After the meeting, the Chief Minister posted on X the pictures of his meetings at the Pahalgam club. Omar wrote on X; “Chaired a Cabinet Meeting at Pahalgam today. It was not just a routine administrative exercise, but a clear message—we are not intimidated by cowardly acts of terror. The enemies of peace will never dictate our resolve. Jammu & Kashmir stands firm, strong, and unafraid”. More important than the agenda on the table of the cabinet meeting is the significance of the meeting’s symbolic communication to anti-national and anti-social elements that violence has no place in Jammu and Kashmir. This was the first cabinet meeting held outside the capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu since the Omar Abdullah-headed government took office in October 2024. Addressing a press conference after the cabinet meeting, Omar said that his government aims to revive tourism gradually and steadily.